by Aubrey Gross
“Seriously? You’re going to drop that on me and then not answer my question?” Jo asked.
Jenn swallowed before saying. “Sorry, I’m hungry, and don’t know where to begin.”
“How about, I don’t know, at the beginning?”
Jo watched as Jenn took a deep breath and clearly tried to gather her thoughts. “I don’t know that Matt and I hate each other. There was just some…animosity there.”
Animosity or something else? Jo wondered. Jenn wasn’t Matt’s usual type, and Matt wasn’t Jenn’s usual type, but stranger things had happened.
“At any rate, he’s been coming over to my place in the evenings here lately, so you and Chase can have some privacy. He was there that day and now he thinks it’s funny to give me a hard time about it.”
“So that’s where he’s been going,” Jo murmured.
“Yeah. He says he wants to give you guys some alone time, and that he doesn’t want to hear all the wild monkey sex going on when he’s not getting any.”
“That’s oddly sweet.”
“Matt, sweet? Yeah, right.”
“So you and Matt have managed to hang out together—alone—and not kill each other? I’m impressed.”
“Oh, I almost stabbed him with a fork the other night.”
Jo laughed. “What’d he do to deserve that?”
Jenn looked away before saying, “Nothing, really. He was just being a jerk.”
Jo had a feeling there was more to the story than that, but decided to let it slide.
“So what’s up with Chase? I’ve called him a couple of times this week and he hasn’t answered. He’s barely responded to text messages. That’s not like him.”
Now it was Jo’s turn to dive into her enchiladas.
“Uh oh. What’s going on? Y’all didn’t break up, did you?”
“Not that I know of. We had a pretty serious talk the other night, and Chase seemed like he had a lot on his mind, really worried about something. I tried to get it out of him, but all he would do is ask me what our plan was for once I go back to Austin.”
“And what is the plan? I love you guys, and obviously y’all are meant for each other, but even soul mates can’t survive distance for too incredibly long.”
Jo shrugged, misery settling into her bones. “I know that. He knows that. Part of it’s my fault—I haven’t exactly wanted to talk about it, even though I know we need to.”
“Uh, yeah.” Jenn took a sip of her tea before continuing. “What I don’t understand is why you’ve been avoiding the inevitable. Just rip the damned bandage off already.”
Jo pushed her enchiladas around her plate. “I know, I know. I’m just so scared of the what-ifs, and the thought of losing him. I think by avoiding having that particular conversation, it’s been easier for me to keep reality at bay.”
Jenn shook her head. “You counselors really can be some screwed up people.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Oh, I can if you really want me to.”
Jo snorted. “No, thanks. I’m well aware of just how messed up I am. But seriously, I just get the feeling that there’s something else bothering Chase, that it’s not just the distance thing. I just can’t come up with any ideas.”
Jenn shrugged. “I really don’t know. I mean, the distance thing is kind of a big one, y’know. And knowing Chase, he’s probably scared to death to let you in all the way, because even though he’s one of my best friends and one of the nicest men on the planet, he also has some issues and has a really hard time letting people in.”
“Yeah, thanks to me,” Jo said bitterly.
“Partially, maybe. But I don’t think it’s just you. Chase tells me most everything, but I know there are things he keeps pretty close to the vest.” Jo watched as Jenn dragged her fork through the remaining enchilada sauce on her plate, making swirly patterns with the tines. “I know he tells Owen more than he does me, and Owen would never divulge state secrets, so to speak.”
“How exactly did Owen and Chase and you become friends to begin with? I don’t remember him from high school.”
“Really? He moved here like our junior year, I think, but he was pretty quiet. Junior ROTC. Graduated a year ahead of us. After he graduated he joined the National Guard and moved to Houston for a while. Came back to Del Rio oh…nine years ago maybe? At any rate, he came back here and opened up a construction business. Chase moved back not long after that, and with him being in commercial real estate they ended up working together a lot, and then ended up doing a lot of the same community events. They just became friends really quickly.”
“So you became friends with Owen by proxy then?”
Jenn shrugged. “Kind of. More like, Chase started inviting Owen to go to the lake with us or come over to his place or to April’s, and before I knew it I suddenly had two hot guy friends who unfortunately both treated me like I was a sister.”
Jo snorted. “About that…was there seriously never anything between you and Owen?”
Jenn laughed. Loudly. “Oh, God, no. I mean, did I think he was hot? Obviously. Even a blind woman could see that. But there simply wasn’t any chemistry, and at the time I honestly wasn’t looking for a boyfriend or even sex. It was a very easy slide into friendship. Anyway, though, enough about me. How about we get the check and head back to Gran’s for some ice cream and alcohol?”
“Ice cream and alcohol, huh?”
Jenn signaled for the waiter and said, “Just feels like that kind of a night.”
~~*~~
“Hey, boss, got something to show you.” Daniel approached Chase’s truck almost as soon as he and Owen pulled up to the ranch.
“What’s up?” Chase asked as he and Owen made their way into the office, Winchester on their heels.
Daniel walked around the desk and pulled out a white envelope. “Got this in the mail today. Not sure why it didn’t go to the P.O. Box in town rather than coming here.”
Chase opened the flap and slid out a piece of paper, opened it and began reading.
“You have got to be shitting me.”
“What’s up?” Owen asked.
Chase handed him the piece of paper and raked his fingers through his hair. This really was shaping up to be the shittiest of shitty weeks.
“Oh, come on. They can’t do that.”
“I know, right?”
They both sat down and then looked at the letter Owen had thrown on to Daniel’s desk. Daniel sat on the other side of the desk, his expression of disbelief mirroring Chase and Owen’s.
Dear Landowner,
It has recently come to our attention that West Texas Water Company, LLC has submitted a proposal to the state that will dramatically impact water levels in Val Verde County. We have cause to believe these plans will especially affect the Devils River, where the differences between groundwater and surface water are negligible.
Walter Johnson, owner of West Texas Water Company, LLC, has submitted a proposal to the state that would pipe billions of gallons of water from the Edwards-Trinity Aquifer to other areas of the state, most notably San Antonio. It is one of three proposals to help the state deal with the water shortage we’re facing due to the severe drought.
As you are most likely aware, the Devils River is fed by underground springs that bubble up from the Aquifer and then disappear under the surface. All of us landowners work hard to preserve the beauty, habitat and quality of the Devils River and the springs that feed it. For a lot of us, those springs and the River also play an important role in providing water for livestock and wildlife, and there are other landowners along the river whose livelihoods are impacted by ecotourism.
Preliminary research shows that West Texas Water Company’s plans would remove close to 50 billion gallons of water from the River basin. Considering the drought we’ve been experiencing, it’s unlikely th
at those 50 billion gallons of water could ever be replenished. Not only would this dramatically decrease the water in the River basin, but it would also decrease ground water in the Aquifer—groundwater which we all depend on for our wells.
West Texas Water Company’s plan would also affect San Felipe Springs in Del Rio, meaning the Rio Grande in and of itself would be impacted by this proposal. All of us in Southwest Texas depend on the Aquifer and its rivers and streams in one way or another. Please join us in fighting West Texas Water Company and this dangerous, reckless plan.
Sincerely,
Devils River Conservation Association
“I knew the water situation across the state was bad, but I didn’t realize it was this bad,” Daniel said.
Chase shrugged. “Well, in Wichita Falls they’re saying they’ll run out of water within two years and have started recycling wastewater and putting it back into the public drinking system. I don’t know that you can get much worse than drinking filtered toilet water that’s already been flushed.”
“That’s just disgusting.” Owen shuddered.
“Yeah, but they’re doing what they have to do,” Chase said. “Everyone who lives in Texas is aware of the drought and how it’s affecting the water supply. And we all know desperate times call for desperate measures. But this?” he gestured towards the letter on Daniel’s desk, “This is robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
Owen pinched the bridge of his nose. “The way I see it, this won’t just hurt the Devils River or San Felipe Springs or Del Rio—this will hurt Lake Amistad and the Rio Grande, which means cities all the way down to Brownsville will feel the pain of having their water supply diverted to other parts of the state. I don’t see how anyone in good conscience could think this is a good idea.”
“Apparently this Walter Johnson doesn’t have much of a conscience to begin with,” Daniel said before turning to his computer. “Anyone who would suggest this is a good idea is either an idiot or simply doesn’t give a shit. I’m leaning towards both after finding his Facebook page. The guy’s a douche.”
Daniel turned his monitor so that Chase and Owen could see the Facebook profile Daniel had pulled up. On it were dozens upon dozens of posts about the proposal, along with some images and content that was at best bigoted.
After reading one particularly bad post, Chase shook his head in disgust. “I think calling him a ‘douche’ is giving the guy too much credit.”
Daniel closed the tab and turned the monitor back towards him. “Probably, but the guy’s not exactly someone you’d want to be friends with, and he obviously has some questionable beliefs.”
“How’s that going to help fight his plan to drain us of our water, though?” Owen asked.
Chase responded. “It’s not, not really, other than the fact that the state would hesitate to get in bed with someone who very publicly expresses his opinion that being white makes him far superior to anyone who isn’t white.”
“Anyone think there’s a way we could get a picture of him at a Klan rally and send it to the important folks in Austin?” Owen joked.
At least, Chase thought he was joking.
Daniel snorted. “Do they even have Klan rallies anymore?”
“I’m sure they do somewhere,” Chase shrugged. “Not like those are exactly on my calendar.”
“This is all well and good—so the guy’s an asshole, obviously—but what do we do next?” Owen asked.
“Well, we need to bring Matt and Darrin up to speed, all things considered. I’m not sure how much either of them will get involved or even really care, but since they are co-owners they need to know. And we contact the Devils River Conservation Association, see what we can do to help. That’s really all we can do.”
Daniel and Owen both nodded in agreement.
“Anyway. I’m gonna go throw my bag in my room and grab a bite to eat.” Chase stood and looked at Owen. “You up for some hog hunting tonight?”
Owen grinned. “I’m always up for hog hunting.”
~~*~~
Chapter Eighteen
Later that night, Chase lay in his bed at the ranch, his mind a tangled mess of thoughts and emotions.
Hog hunting had helped a little; there was just something therapeutic about sitting outside on a clear night, with nothing but the sounds of wildlife around you. No cars. No airplanes. No ringing phones. Just locusts and moths and bats in the air, deer and hogs moving around under cover of darkness.
It hadn’t helped enough, though. He was no closer to having any answers than he’d been three days ago.
So far, the only person he’d told about the latest Chronic Kidney Disease diagnosis had been Owen, and they hadn’t talked about it beyond his offhand admission that things were getting worse. He needed to tell Jo. He needed to tell his parents. Hell, he needed to tell Jenn and update Matt, too, all things considered.
All were fraught with all kinds of emotional land mines he wasn’t looking forward to dealing with.
His parents had already almost lost both of their sons; Chase, as a child when the vesicoureteral reflux had led to multiple surgeries and kidney scarring, and Matt just a month ago with that freak line drive to the head. Sure, they were both still alive, and Matt seemed to be on the mend, but Chase’s reality wasn’t one he would imagine any parent wished for their child to go through.
On one hand, they’d known for twenty years that he would most likely need a transplant one day. On the other, it had been far too easy to fall into a bit of a lull, thinking that the day his kidneys failed was some far-off time in the future. As long as he ate healthy and exercised, watched his blood pressure and kept up with his nephrology appointments, he was fine and had been fine.
Until he wasn’t.
It was one thing to know that needing an organ transplant was a possibility, another to find out it was your reality. And while he was beyond grateful that he—and his family—had literally had decades to prepare for this reality, it was still difficult to process.
Why now?
Why had his body decided to finally start the too-fast downward slide now, after he and Jo had found something that he knew deep down was special? Furthermore, how could he do this to Jo?
She’d already been through so much in her life. Sure, she’d come out stronger in the end because of it, but he loved her enough to not want to ever cause her any sort of pain or distress. If he could shield Jo from all of the bad in the world, he would.
Considering he’d been giving her the cold shoulder the past few days, he realized he wasn’t exactly sparing her one of those bad things, it was just that he didn’t know what to do. She didn’t deserve to be with a sick guy with a limited shelf life. He knew the statistics, knew how long transplanted kidneys usually lasted.
Ten to fifteen years, with some lasting for twenty.
He was already thirty-three. It was looking like he would need the transplant at thirty-four or thirty-five.
Which meant he would need a new one by his mid-fifties at the latest, probably before then. And while he could probably still get one in his fifties, there was always the question of what happened after that kidney failed. While patients in their sixties still received transplants, most in their seventies didn’t for a variety of reasons.
He wanted to be with Jo for forever, but what if his forever was only twenty more years? Forty years? And what if hers was sixty?
He couldn’t abandon her like that.
She deserved someone who could be with her until they were old and gray, who would always be around to love her.
He might not be that guy.
Even if he got lucky and a new kidney lasted twenty years, and he was able to quickly get another one after that, there was also the increased risk of cancer from the anti-rejection meds. Sure, the majority of cancer cases among transplant recipients were skin cancer and fairly easy to take car
e of. But there were always those other cancers, the ones that weren’t so easy to deal with.
The ones that could kill you.
And then there was the possibility of his body rejecting the new kidney completely, which would mean dialysis until he could get a new one. If he could get a new one. Hell, if he couldn’t find a live donor to begin with (and how did he even ask someone to give him a part of them?), he would have to go on dialysis. He’d done his research, he’d even visited some dialysis centers.
They were kind of miserable places.
Places where people seemed to go to just prolong death.
He wanted to live.
He couldn’t put Jo through that. He’d talked to enough people, read enough online to know that while dialysis and transplants were hard on the recipient, they were also very hard on the patient’s loved ones.
He couldn’t do that to her.
Knowing that this was coming sometime in the future had led to him being a bit of a lone wolf as it was. Obviously, he’d dated, been in relationships, and had sex. But he’d never allowed himself to get truly serious with anyone—until Jo—because he knew that this was a possibility and it wasn’t fair.
Yes, he’d loved Jo as a teen, and had never completely gotten over her, but why now? Why had God put her back in his life now, when now was the thing he’d been protecting everyone in his life from?
Realizing he wasn’t going to get any sleep with his brain such a mess, Chase got out of bed. Winchester lifted his head, sighed, and walked with him as Chase made his way from his bedroom to the living room with its big screen TV and satellite cable, hoping the distraction of mindless television would help him go to sleep, or at the very least help him figure out what to do.
~~*~~
Chapter Nineteen
He knew what he needed to do.
With a feeling of inevitability, Chase texted Jo.
Chase: Dinner at my place tonight?
Jo: Our usual time?
